As the weather cools down outside, the temperature begins to rise inside gymnasiums across the country. With November quickly approaching, die-hard basketball fans are gearing up for what is certain to prove to be another exciting season fraught with parity and unexpected surprises.
Our region provides an opportunity to follow two of the perennial powerhouse conferences in college basketball, the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Soon after the start of this college basketball season, the BB&T Classic will showcase top teams in both of these conferences, as well as providing an opportunity for two lower-tier mainstays to share the spotlight. Originally known as the Franklin National Bank Classic, the BB&T Classic has been held annually since 1995 and occurs on or around the first weekend of December each year.
This year is no exception, as the double-header tips off on December 6. The 2009 event will feature long-time host universities, the University of Maryland Terrapins from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the George Washington University Colonials of the Atlantic-10 Cnference, as well as the 2009 Final Four participant Villanova University Wildcats (Big East) and the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen (Patriot League).
The George Washington Colonials will look to improve on a 10-18 (4-12 Conf.) record last year under ninth year Head Coach Karl Hobbs. Although GW lost their leading scorer and rebounder, forward Rob Diggs (13.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG), Coach Hobbs hopes to capitalize on the experience of 6’8” veteran forward Damian Hollis (13.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG). Coach Hobbs will also look for some fresh leadership with a group of six incoming freshmen who will be donning the buff and blue this season.
The Colonials will face the Naval Academy Midshipmen (19-11, 8-6 Conf.) who are coming off of a third place finish in the competitive Patriot League. The Midshipmen, coached by sixth year man Billy Lange, averaged a Patriot League best 71 points per contest last season. The Midshipmen expect big things from returning senior swingman, Chris Harris. Harris, who was recently named the 21st best shooter in the country by Foxsports.com, averaged a team-best 15.4 points per game last season and converted a solid 85 three point field goals, the second most in Naval Academy history. Even with a weapon like Harris, Coach Lange will rely heavily on several players to have productive offensive seasons. Junior center Mark Veazey (6’11”) will provide an effective inside presence and defensive specialist Romeo Garcia returns from a string of injuries that kept him sidelined most of last season.
The first game and the marquee matchup of the day features Big East favorite Villanova (30-8, 13-5 Conf.), who will face the University of Maryland (21-14, 7-9 Conf.). Villanova looked impressive in the post season last year, making it to the Final Four before losing the eventual National Champion North Carolina Tar Heels. Maryland, on the other hand, limped into the NCAA tournament with a losing record in the ACC. Villanova star Scottie Reynolds and Maryland stand-out Grevis Vasquez will undoubtedly put on an electrifying show as the dynamic matchup in this contest. Both were expected to leave college early and enter their names in the NBA draft after last season, but opted to stay to improve their chances.
Charismatic Coach Jay Wright and his Villanova squad lost several key players last season, including their leading scorer and rebounder Dante Cunningham (16.1 PPG, 7.5 RPG). Coach Wright will rely on returning stars Reynolds (15.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG), Corey Fisher (10.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG) and Corey Stokes (9.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG), as well as a highly touted group of freshman. Forward Taylor King, a transfer from Duke is also expected to produce instant results as he will likely be placed in the starting lineup. Villanova begins the year with a pre-season top 5 ranking and with high expectations to go far into the post-season.
Maryland, lead by future Hall of Fame Coach Gary Williams, returns four starters from last year’s squad and looks to capitalize on the momentum they picked up in the post season last year after a mediocre start. Although Maryland was less-than-stellar during their last campaign, they begin ranked 20th in most pre-season polls. Senior and pre-season All-ACC guard Greivis Vasquez (17.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG) is Coach Williams’ go-to guy and will be backed up by a veteran cast including junior guard Adrian Bowie (9.0 PPG, 2.5 APG) and senior forward Landon Milbourne (11.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG). Coach Williams, who began taking some heat last year, hopes that experience will provide confidence to a group of players who have the potential to win an ACC Championship.
The BB&T Classic will be an outstanding preview of two premiere teams in their respective conferences, and will allow two more obscure teams the opportunity to garner national attention. The doubleheader benefits the Children's Charities Foundation, which has distributed over seven million dollars to various charities throughout the Washington metro area. Tickets can be purchased online through Ticketmaster and range from $20.00 to $150.00. The lineup of games begins at 5 p.m. when Maryland plays Villanova. That game will be directly followed by George Washington and Navy. The Maryland vs. Villanova game will be featured on Fox Sports Network and will air on most Fox-owned and affiliated networks as well as locally on the Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).
